Lodi Nauta is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Groningen. He is author and editor of several monographs and essay collections, including the award-winning In Defense of Common Sense: Lorenzo Valla's Humanist Critique of Scholastic Philosophy (2009), and has written numerous journal articles and book chapters on medieval and early modern philosophy. He was a recipient of the Spinoza Award in 2016.
'Nauta is among the most distinguished historians of philosophy today. His study breaks new ground by concentrating on a vital issue in the early modern rivalry between humanism and scholasticism which still has great resonance in modern academe: the advantages and disadvantages that accrue to philosophy, or any professionalized study, from employing a special technical vocabulary to discuss philosophical problems.' James Hankins, Harvard University 'This book is a great and inspiring tour d'horizon into philosophical reflection on the use of language - and, consequently, on linguistic practice - from the emergence of Renaissance humanism to major thinkers such as Hume and Locke . The author invites us into his novel and fascinating story of the genesis of Renaissance and Early Modern (and even contemporary) philosophy.' Jan Papy, Catholic University of Leuven